Ok, so I know it's been a while… forgive me!

Don't recall if I mentioned it or not (methinks negative on that, captain) but this is pre-Phase One.

{6 days earlier}

"Sloane may not be as foolish as you seem to believe him to be," Sark commented. Sydney was startled by his sudden appearance at the side of her desk.

"And just what is that supposed to mean?" Sark raised an eyebrow at her, his eyes seeming to dance with a secret knowledge.

"Everyone has secrets." With that, he was gone. Sydney stared after him anxiously, unable to puzzle out what he had meant by that comment.

"Are you all right?" Dixon was suddenly at her side, placing a hand on her shoulder gently.

"Oh… uh, yeah, I'm fine. He just kinda unnerves me sometimes." Dixon gave her a reassuring smile.

"It doesn't show." Sydney shot him a grateful look.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Dixon added as he turned to leave.

"Bye," Sydney replied, somewhat absently. She took some more time to finish paperwork before gathering her belongings and heading out.

She made her way to her car and got in, putting her stuff on the passenger seat as she started the vehicle and put it in reverse. A glance at her side view mirror caused her to quickly hit the brakes. The bemused face of Mr. Sark was staring back at her. Sydney shifted into park and threw the door open, stepping out in annoyance.

"Have you been waiting here the whole twenty minutes since you left?" she demanded. He made a noncommittal face, and she rolled her eyes.

"I assume you're standing there for a reason, and not just to stalk me." Sydney stated. An amused look flashed through Sark's eyes

"As fun as stalking may be, that's certainly not what I'm doing. I'm simply here to warn you again: all is not what it seems."

"Warnings are generally more effective when they're understandable," Sydney said irritably.

"What's so hard to understand about that?" Sark questioned.

"Only all of it," Sydney retorted.

"It's not that difficult. Just keep in mind the fact that Arvin Sloane couldn't have gotten as far as he has by being an idiot… and that the bad guys aren't always the bad guys," he added.

"That sure cleared things up," Sydney said sarcastically. Sark's expression suddenly became deadly serious.

"Don't play dumb, Agent Bristow. Your life may well depend on it." His change in temperament, as well as his cautionary words, left Sydney momentarily speechless. Sark seized that opportunity to walk away from her again. Sydney slowly got back into her vehicle and resumed her aborted attempt at leaving. As she drove, she mulled over what Sark had said. She quickly made a decision, and pulled out her cell phone.

"Hello?"

"Francie? Hey, it's me. Um, I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to be a bit late tonight, because-"

"Work again?" Sydney laughed nervously

"No, actually, I'm just going to go see my dad."

"Oh really? That's great Syd, take your time!"

"Thanks Francie. Don't wait up if I'm really late. He and I have a lot to talk about."

"No prob, Syd. See you when you get here, or in the morning!"

"Ok. Bye Francie!" Sydney hung up, then dialed her father.

"Bristow," he answered, sounding somewhat tired.

"Is this a bad time?" Sydney questioned.

"What's wrong?" Jack asked, instantly sounding alert.

"I need to talk to you," she said vaguely.

"Fine. You know where to go?"

"Yeah. I'll see you there." Sydney tucked her phone away and turned towards the warehouse. She briefly considered calling Vaughn, going so far as to draw up his initials and number on her cell phone, but then decided against it. She could talk to him tomorrow.

When she pulled up to the warehouse a few minutes later, Sydney could see her father's car parked in the shadows. She parked quickly, and hurried in.

"Hey Dad."

"Sydney. Is everything all right?" she could see the honest concern in his brown eyes.

"I'm not sure." She proceeded to tell him about her conversations with Sark. Afterwards, he was quietly thoughtful for a few moments.

"We can't take anything he says at face value. On the other hand, we can't be certain that playing mind games is all he was doing. We both need to proceed with extreme caution in terms of Sloane and SD-6. Tomorrow, I'll talk with Kendall about this. In the meantime, be very, very careful." Sydney nodded.

"I hope I didn't disturb your or anything," she said. His eyes softened perceptibly.

"You're never a disruption, Sydney. Take care of yourself, and call me if anything happens. Anything at all." She smiled at her father and watched him walk away. As she walked out, she made the decision to go see her mother first thing tomorrow. Going back into the bitter cold of the dark night, Sydney was filled with a feeling of foreboding. A light fog was beginning to settle over the city. As her father's car pulled away, the headlights dispersed the mist, and she waved at him. Getting back into her car for the short drive home, Sydney's thoughts once again turned to the enigma that was Sark.